We Are Making a Difference

When the current Compass Church facility was in the midst of getting city approval, part of that process involved meetings with city officials, church leaders, and members of the community. During one of these meetings someone asked this question: What value will this church add to our community?

Great question. What value does a church, or Christ-followers in general, add to a community? And what value could they possibly add to a culture?

Let’s answer that question by taking a little tour of history:

1) In the Roman Empire, Christians risked their lives caring for the outcasts of society: “Members did nurse the sick, even during epidemics; they did support orphans, widows, the elderly, and the poor; they did concern themselves with the lot of slaves. In short, Christians created ‘a miniature welfare state in an empire which for the most part lacked social services.’” – Rodney Stark, Cities of God, pp. 30-31.

2) During the so-called “Dark Ages,” Christian monks brought restoration to war-torn Europe: “The monks were poor, and they worked incredibly hard; they plowed, hedged, drained morasses, cleared away forests, did carpentry, thatched, and built roads and bridges…Through their disciplined and tireless labor they turned the tide of barbarism in Western Europe and brought back into cultivation the lands which had been deserted and depopulated in the age of invasions. More important, through their sanctifying work and poverty they lifted the hearts of the poor and neglected peasants and inspired them…” - David Bosch, Transforming Mission, p. 232.

3) Under Muslim rule during the time of the Crusades, Christians formed the backbone of a society that was oppressing them: “Indeed, as late as the middle of the eleventh century, the Muslim writer Nasir-i Khrusau reported, ‘Truly, the scribes here in Syria, as is the case of Egypt, are all Christians… [and] it is most usual for the physicians…to be Christians.’ In Palestine under Muslim rule, according to the monumental history by Moshe Gil, ‘the Christians had immense influence and positions of power, chiefly because of the gifted administrators among them who occupied government posts despite the ban in Muslim law against employing Christians [in such positions] or who were part of the intelligentsia of the period owing to the fact that they were outstanding scientists, mathematicians, physicians and so on.’” - Rodney Stark, God's Battalions, p. 61.

4) Today Christianity is exploding in the Southern Hemisphere. As it transforms the lives of men, it radically improves the plight of the women and children in their midst: “The reshaping of gender roles echoes through Southern Hemisphere Christianity, and Latin American churches often present Jesus as divine Husband and Father. In practical terms, the emphasis on domestic values has had a transformative and often positive effect on gender relationships… Membership in a new Pentecostal church means a significant improvement in the lives of poor women, since this is where they are more likely to meet men who do not squander family resources on drinking, gambling, prostitutes, and second households. - Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity

Throughout history, this is what Christians do: They raise other people’s children, rebuild what others have destroyed, love their enemies, and work to redeem the culture in which they live.

Even so their views and contributions are routinely mocked in the media, universities, in the courts, and in entertainment. They are also stigmatized by the actions of a few wackos in their midst, as though your creepy uncle from Toledo accurately represents your whole family.

But they don’t let that bother them. They just keep building.

So here’s what we do each and every day: we build communities, we redeem culture, and we proclaim the kingdom of God. Therefore, here’s what that should look like (not that it always does) in each and every one of our lives:

1) We are industrious. We get up each day and give our best energy to whatever task God has placed before us. We don’t squander our time or our money, but with a sense of urgency direct both of those resources to our God-given priorities.

2) We are honest. We don’t cheat others to get ahead, but we present ourselves as worthy of trust in both our personal and professional lives. We don’t lead double lives: what you see is what you get.

3) We are patient. We trust God to provide, fully aware that we may not always get what we want, but we will always have what we need. That prevents us from restoring to selfish manipulation of others for our own personal gain.

4) We engage. Rather than rolling up the drawbridge and staying safe inside our little castles, we go out to find those whose lives we can bless by sharing the Gospel or at least living it out.

5) We are happy. We forgive because we know we have been forgiven. And we know that God wins in the end no matter who claims to be in charge now!

So when we had thirty-seven kids respond to the Gospel message last week at VBS, you can bet that adds value to the community. When we send a team to the max unit in the Women’s prison every Thursday to preach the Gospel to murderers, you can bet that adds value to the community. And when we are challenging hundreds of people each week to become more like Jesus by laying down their lives for others, you can bet that adds value to the community.

We are making a difference. Christian, what you do today matters. If you’re living out the Gospel message, as has been done throughout history, then whoever is around you will always have hope.